Lot number 2532 - Auction 142
IKONE MIT DER AUFFINDUNG DES HEILIGEN GLEB

AN ICON SHOWING THE FINDING OF GLEB'S BODY Russian, 17th century Tempera on wood panel with double kovcheg. Finely executed in great detail on a gold ground. Set into a later panel (vrezka). 38.1 x 25.2 cm. The death of Gleb is a significant and symbolic event in the history of Kievan Rus. Gleb, the younger brother of Boris, was murdered on the orders of their brother Sviatopolk, who sought to seize power after the death of their father, Vladimir the Great. Gleb was traveling on a boat when he received the devastating news of his brother Boris's death. In deep sorrow and uncertainty, he continued his journey. However, while on the river, he was brutally murdered by assassins sent by Sviatopolk. According to legend, it was one of his own servants who stabbed him as Gleb prayed on the boat, asking God for protection. The image of Gleb in a boat, often depicted in iconography, symbolizes not only his martyrdom but also his peaceful devotion to God, as he refused to use violence against his brother or anyone else. Gleb, along with Boris, became one of the first martyrs and saints of Kievan Rus. Their deaths marked the beginning of a new era of Christian devotion in the region.